In a race marked by historic possibilities, Omaha’s first female mayor Jean Stothert has conceded to John Ewing, who stands poised to become the city’s first Black mayor.
Omahans went to the polls Tuesday with a choice that would shape the city’s legacy, either extend Stothert’s tenure into an unprecedented fourth term or usher in a new era under Ewing’s leadership.
While the campaign mostly centered on local concerns like infrastructure and public services, national flashpoints including the Trump administration and transgender rights crept into the conversation in the campaign’s final days.
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Early returns showed Jean Stothert down nearly 5,000 votes. At her election night gathering, she acknowledged defeat, according to KETV.
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“I called John Ewing and I congratulated him,” Stothert said. “John Ewing is inheriting tonight a great city, and we leave a strong foundation for the city that we love. We are grateful and we are hopeful.”
The winner will take the helm of Nebraska’s most populous city, home to nearly one in four of the state’s residents.
Stothert’s reelection bid leaned on showcasing Omaha’s recent development, highlighting projects like the revamped riverfront, an incoming streetcar system, and steady improvements to city streets.
“I have plans and can talk about them, and they are working,” Stothert told the Omaha World-Herald.
Her victory would have made her the city’s longest-serving mayor in over 100 years.
But John Ewing, currently the Douglas County treasurer, challenged her record, arguing that vital issues like pothole repairs, police recruitment, and affordable housing remained under-addressed.
“People just feel like she’s had her time, and it’s time for somebody new,” Ewing said.
Though officially nonpartisan, the race was charged with political undercurrents. Stothert identified as a Republican and Ewing as a Democrat—significant in Omaha, a rare Nebraska locale where Democrats can be competitive.
Partisan jabs intensified late in the campaign. One of Stothert’s ads claimed, “Ewing stands with radicals who want to allow boys in girls’ sports.”
Ewing dismissed that narrative, noting he had no involvement with such issues in his current role. “He wouldn’t respond to hypothetical questions,” he told KETV.
In his own campaign spots, Ewing tied Stothert to the Trump administration, featuring her alongside Donald Trump and declaring: “Let’s say no to the chaos and elect a mayor who will actually get things done.”
